Miss Ireland Jasmine Gerhardt said being crowned the winner felt like “an out of body experience” after entering the competition three times.
The 25-year-old law graduate from Dublin took the title home at the 76th Miss Ireland bash at a glamorous ceremony in the city at the weekend, while Cork man Glenn Williamson, 28, won the Mr Ireland contest. In her first chat since the win, Jasmine told Dublin Live: “It doesn’t feel real.”
The Clonsilla woman first entered the competition aged 17, and once again last year, where she finished runner-up. She said: “This is my third time entering so to get it now feels like the most amazing thing ever. It really showed me that no matter how many times you are shot down you should always get back up and go for your dreams.”
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Looking back at the preparation and dedication it took to finally win the crown, Jasmine added she couldn’t have done it without her family, especially her mother, Sharon, who is also a former Miss Ireland contestant. Jasmine said: “My mam was in Miss Ireland so it was always a dream of mine to be Miss Ireland.
"I felt like even though I was knocked down when I didn’t get it so many times it was something I really wanted to do and my dream so I shouldn’t let failure determine something that I really wanted. And I wanted the role of this so I decided to give it one last go and trusted that if it was meant to be it would and thank God it was.”
Jasmine is determined to use her new platform to show the importance of education and prove that you can have beauty and brains, hoping to reach the same heights as her biggest inspiration Amal Clooney. She said: “I love her and all the work she does and I hope one day I will be able to do that.”
Having worked with a hedge fund in Dubai last year, Jasmine’s main aspiration going forward is to work for the UN, enabling her to travel to developing nations where women’s voices often go unheard and to shed light on their experiences and empower them. She said: “I see it as a platform to make change.”
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